The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-09-09
The Two Kings.

qua 10 ulID. o might nave select
ed from every herd of wild horses on
the prairies and found none to match
this coal black steed.
1t is 10 O'clock in the day as they fol
low the blind trail along the Little
Colorado. Here is a mar with the eye
CT 81 e&g!a, the courage Of q lion anc
the nerve Of a statue. Here is a horse
with the scent of Il wild animal, the
fleetness of the wind and the endurance
of machinery.
TO the west are the White Mesa
Mountains, the home Of the grizzly and
cinnamon-the hiding place. of the gray
wolf-full of gloomy canyons in which
death lurks-here and there a valley in
which the bones of white men lay
bleaching in the MONDAY sun.
To the east the plains, cut through
by Indian trails-washed and quilted
by the cloud bur8ts-heaved into fautas-
tic shapes by the awful power of the
earthquake.
The courage which separates a man
from kith and kin and the world to
dwell with himself amidst hourly dan
gers is not to be questioned. Men who
die bravely or the battlefield would
draw back in alright after one look in
to Il mountain canyon at high noon.
They are awed at the very thought of
the terrible travail which rem the
great hill asunder. The darkness which
falls into the rift tells of a thousand
dangers. The faint echoes which reach
the ear seems to tell you to fly to q
place of safety.
Watch the pair-hOrse and rider-as
they slowly pass. There are four ears
to listen, four eyes to watch. No artist
could picture more grace and strength
and confidence. The rifle is ready with
it's deadly bulIet-the mucles of the
horse culver at the thought of a long
u in which he will leave the wind be-
hind. There is danger. but both are
ready. There is a wild exultation in
knowing there is danger.
just here a wedge-shaped ledge of
rock crowds down almost to the river.
Once past it and there is an acre of
grass land. an open basin in which the
violets and pansieS bloom as if to
smooth some of the mountain wrinkles
of age away. Here the hares scamper
and play; here the black-tailed deer
come to feed. 1t is as if, after a nj ght
of fury and destruction, Nature re-
Tented as day came again and crowded
back the rocks to create this basin as a
peace offering.
Stop (!
The hunt4r's horse has scarcely tram
pied the violets under foot when from
the opposite side rides forth another
horseman. 1t is an Indian chief. The
proud feathers of the eagle designate
his rank. The manner in which he sits
his horse proves him a king. None but
a king could ride that horse-his eyes
flashing, his nostrils quivering, his
muscles standing out like wires!
Stop!
The two kings are face to face. One
is king of his tribe, the other of noun
tain, prairie and plain. Each bears
the scars of a score of conflicts. At
the red kings belt bangles a score of
scalps. In the stock of the white kings
rifle are cut a dozen notches. The red
king wears an armlet of the claw of
the grizzly bear. The white king a
bangle before him the great teeth of
the same monster.
You listen for shouts of surprise and
defiance. There is none. You look
for some swift movement of offense or
defense. There is one. Horse to
horse-maD to man-king to king
they stare az each other, but make no
movement. Let either rifle be raised a
foot and blood would flow. Let either
horse paw the ground and the conflict
would begin. There is scarcely Il
culver of the eyGlid as the kings in
spect each other. The horses tremble
with excitement but not a hoof is
raised,
The seconds whirl away-one-two
three minutes 90 by. That basin
would have held a thousand spectators,
and during those three minutes each
man ~ould have lived a day. The
suspense would have paled every face
and made every limb tremble.
See!
Their right hands 60 up as if linked
together. The palm Of each is Outward.
That signifies a truce. Each horse
moves slowly forward and the men al
most touch each other as they pass.
Each has found in the other a king. Al
struggle between them must end in the
death of both. They are not to be
friends, but the fight is postponed for a
day--a week-a year-until one a
secure an advantage. Hands up
palms outward. Hunters and warriors
have often broken the pledge but these
men viii not. Kings give their pledge
and die to keep il. They look defantly
into each Others eyes as tthaey pass, and
then their backs are towards each
other. Acoward would turn and shoot
Kings are not towards. There is no
fear of t~reachery.
And they ride to the east and the
west andpass out of sight and hearing.
and the hares which ran away ii alarm
come back to nibble at the sweet
grasses. and the brown bird whose
neat and young were almost crushed
underfoot returned to soothe the fright
If fhn HndroIfnUo nn1 an 49,. -